Saturday, September 13, 2008

A Harried Experience (get it?)

Took the girls to a salon to get their hair done.This is always a treat for them. Well, I say always; we've now done it twice since they've been home.

But hair is such an important part of their culture that they love having pretty hairstyles.And I'm still learning how to even wash it and comb it and moisturize it that trying to figure out an "up-do" for them is challenging for me.

I can't even French Braid my white daughter's hair.So I took her in, too. For fun.

Here's some perspective for you: Amy was in the chair for 25 minutes. I paid $10.Yolanta and Katie were each in the chair for 90 minutes. EACH. Back to back. Yes, I was at the salon for 3 hours. And I paid $100. And there was fire involved. Yes, FIRE. After Miss Andrea put a few extensions in the girls' hair to give the corn-rows a little length, she pulled out a lighter and burned the ends off.

How funky. I'm the mother of a couple of girls who use fire on their hair to get ready for the day. Me?See, I'm being stretched every day. I'm not the same person I was 10 weeks ago.But I'm seeing/feeling that God is doing something pretty darn amazing in my family.

Well, here are some pictures of the girls' hair.Sorry that Yolanta and Katie's pictures really aren't that great and don't show off their hair very well.

Miss Andrea was supposed to do all three girls' hair that day. But at the end of three hours, she still had Amy to do. And her next client was already there waiting for color so she said she would have to start her next client and get back to Amy in about 25 minutes.

We had a 30th birthday party to go to that night and it was already way past we-should-be-home-right-now. Husband was calling me suggesting we get something to eat and would I help him pick out a few new shirts for work before we go to the party.

Poor Amy, she passed up an opportunity to go bowling with Grammy and Cousin at the thought of getting her hair all done up. But now we're out of time.

So now I've got three girls antsy to stretch their legs and be louder than I've been letting them be in a cramped salon. They're exercising their wings out in the parking lot while I'm paralyzed with decision making. While I'm on the phone with cute husband, Miss Andrea peeks her head out to ask me if I'd please pay by cash instead of check or visa.

I'll have to go to the bankAt 5:00 rush houron Pacific Hwy in Tigard (you locals will know how crazy that is)on a Friday evening

Promises of a special hair day for Amy were made, I say yes and good bye to husband and yes to Miss Andrea and throw all the kids in the car and inch my way to the bank.

Why did I say yes to the cash? I dunno. We were in a small area for three hours and I felt like Miss Andrea and I kind of built up this sweet little rapport with each other and she was asking me for a favor. I could have said no, but I also felt like I should just do it. It was past check cashing hours and maybe she really needed the cash that night for a starving grandbaby or something heroic on her part. Who knows.

So by the time I got back from the bank, dropped off the cash, fought traffic to get home, met up with husband, grabbed something to eat; the kids were on their last bits of well behaved-ness and it was starting to make husband and me twitch just a little.

We never did make it to buy shirts or celebrate Jon turning old.

So that's why the pictures suck. I was in no mood to whip out my camera for better shots.Took Amy today to get her done as promised.

But you know me. I love taking pictures of my girls so as the next few days go by I'll grab some good ones of Yolanta and Katie's hair out in the sun and let you have a closer look.

Love the pics....We're sisters in a new way that I didn't think I'd ever be.....hours in the beauty salon for our girs that aren't even in the double digits yet. Yikes! Think about what it will be like for us in 10 years......better start saving our pennies now.

Wow, good for you for getting it done though, one of these days' you'll be a pro and do it all....-$100. My whitey friend here has a beauty-black daughter and has learned to do her hair, though I here there is much tv and are lots of lollipops involved. ($100 saved. :) You're girls are beauties, three!

Thank you for my birthday wishes. I'm enjoying checking out your blog. Your girls are beautiful! And it's funny you are Julie and your husband is David. My brother's name is David, so I grew up hearing "David and Julie" together in a sentence all the time. :)

I love how you understand how important black hair is. My daughter's hair takes so much more maintenance than my own hair, but I try to make it fun, and my goal is that she will grow up loving her hair. I'd love to take her to a salon one of these days to get it braided.